by Daniella Nicole
November marks the start of the annual NaNoWriMo event. NaNoWriMo is the shorter version name of National Novel Writing Month. Each year, thousands of writers commit to a goal of producing 50,000 words in one month, towards a novel. In 2009, more than 165,000 people participated. NaNoWriMo is not about creating the perfect work – it’s about making the time to work on that book buried inside that is just begging to get out and on to paper.
This challenge can be applied to many other things. One group of writers with AC Yahoo! has committed in their own way to produce that amount of work, but in various forms. With the average article being 500 words, it is a commitment of 100 articles in one month. For some, that is an easy goal, being something they already do. For many, though, it can be a challenge, especially if they want it to all be with one company or client.
Setting goals, pushing yourself and reaching higher isn’t just for writers, though. Anyone can set a goal related to something they have wanted to do but keep putting off and get it done this month.
Been dying to get that garage cleaned out? Need to get your teen’s baby pictures scrapbooked? Want to learn a foreign language or read a classic book? Set yourself a goal and give yourself the month in which to accomplish it. Find stolen moments here and there to work on it. Use free time to work on your goal rather than play on Facebook or Twitter.
November is also the month for another challenge; this one for a very worth cause. Movember is in honor of Prostate Cancer Awareness. For this goal, men start with no mustache (if they have one, they have to shave it off) and grow it out for the entire month. This is another goal that can be used – and it’s a great cause.
In the case of NaNoWriMo, not every writer succeeds in meeting the challenge. However, many come back every year to try again, after having amazed themselves with what they could really do once they put their mind to it. Even if you don’t manage to accomplish your goal despite your best efforts, you will be that much closer to having it done.
I’ll be participating in my own way in both. No, I won’t be growing a mustache for Movember (though, as a Greek lady I probably could! LOL), but I will be supporting it in other ways. For NaNoWriMo, I won’t be working on a novel, but I will be working on upping my writing productivity for the month, attempting to get more done with several places. Since 500,000 words is approximately one 175-page book, I hope to get at least that much done in singular works, combined.
What is your personal challenge for November?
Image Credits:
NanoWriMo Logo. Webbadge for bloggers. http://www.nanowrimo.org/webbadges
Movember Logo. Movember Foundation. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Movember_Foundation_Logo.JPG
